Researchers at Pennsylvania State University and MIT believe they have developed a new solid-state polymer electrolyte for use in electrochemical devices including fuel cells and batteries. Tags: Electric cars Fuel Cells Green cars Latest news electric car batteries fuel cell cars mit Pennsylvania State University researchers solid-state polymer electrolytes MORE

In a paper in the Journal ChemSusChem they report that using a novel gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) enables stable performance close to the theoretical capacity (1675 mAh g -1 ) of a low cost sulfur-carbon composite with high active material loading, i.e. 70% S. MORE

Sketch of the Sn/C/CGPE/ Li 2 S/C polymer battery. The battery is formed by a Sn/C composite anode, a PEO-based gel polymer electrolyte, and a Li 2 S/C cathode. Hassoun and Scrosati also replaced the common liquid organic solutions with a gel-type polymer membrane. MORE

million (US$5 million) research project to create a new class of fast rechargeable zinc-polymer batteries for hybrid and small electric vehicle applications. The PolyZion (Fast rechargeable zinc-polymer battery based on ionic liquids) received funding of €2.4 An EU consortium is two years into a 3-year, €3.5 million (US$3.4 million) under the Energy Theme of the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). MORE

PEF is a new polymer that can be made out of plant material instead of oil; Avantium is targeting the replacement of petroleum-based polyesters as PET with PEF. Avantium, which spun off from Shell in 2000 to develop furan-based biofuels and biomaterials ( earlier post ), has raised €30 million (US$43.9 million) to advance its YXY technology, which converts carbohydrates into furanic building blocks for making renewable materials and fuels. MORE

Panasonic Corporation has developed conductive polymer hybrid aluminum electrolytic capacitors realizing large capacitance and large current in a compact form factor (SMD type), suited for automotive ECUs (Electronic Control Units) power supply circuits of HEV, EV and gasoline-powered vehicles, etc. MORE

The new polymer-coated high-performance bearings can be applied to both light and heavy-duty engines, and are particularly effective in hybrid and start/stop applications that place additional demands on bearings through frequent re-starting. MORE

Global Bioenergies has purified its bio‐isobutene to 99.77%, a polymer‐grade level. Several applications in the polymers business (rubbers, plastics.) require high‐purity isobutene, and 99.77% corresponds to the polymer‐grade standard. Global Bioenergies routinely produces isobutene batches using its industrial pilot located in Pomacle‐Bazancourt, eastern France. Up to now, 95% purity was reached, a level sufficient for several applications, such as fuels and paints. MORE

A team from the University of Rome Sapienza has developed a rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery based on the combination of a high capacity sulfur-carbon cathode, nanostructured Li x Sn-C anode and polysulfide-added PEO-based gel membrane. Further, the use of a polymer electrolyte and the replacement of lithium metal with a Li-Sn-C nanostructured alloy for the anode should provide high safety content, they noted in their open access paper published in Nature’s Scientific Reports. MORE

A team of researchers from the US and China have developed novel polymer?graphene Moreover, the robust backbone of the polymer can prevent the unwanted dissolution in nonaqueous electrolyte that is always suffered by small molecules, and thereby achieve good cycling stability. MORE

A German consortium involving four companies and and two universities is developing dielectric elastomers (electroactive polymers) for the conversion of mechanical energy—in this case wave power—into electrical power. MORE

Using particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO), the researchers created a biocatalytic polymer material that converts methane to methanol. The enzymes retain up to 100% activity in the polymer construct. Remarkably, the enzymes retain up to 100 percent activity in the polymer. MORE

A team led by researchers from Georgia Tech have used an electropolymerization process to produce aligned arrays of polymer nanofibers that function as a thermal interface material able to conduct heat 20 times better than the original polymer. MORE

Dunn of the Singapore University of Technology and Design incorporated shape memory polymer fibers into the composite materials used in conventional 3D printing (additive manufacturing), which results in the production of an object fixed in one shape that can later be changed to take on a new shape. MORE

The clean technology company Danish Power Systems (DPS), with partners at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Czech Republic, reports the best operating stability for high-temperature polymer fuel cells (HTPEMFC) yet. The polymer can operate at a higher temperature than traditional PEM cells. MORE

The company has also accelerated its sales activity relating to high-performance polymer-grade farnesene for the polymers market and Myralene as a replacement for higher-priced limonene. At these low manufacturing costs, farnesene is also now priced competitively with isoprene as a raw material for many high-performance polymer applications and delivers better functional performance for Amyris’ partners’ end-market materials. MORE

Bio-hydrocarbons Bio-hydrogen Bio-polymers Biobutanol Biodiesel Biogasoline Biomass Biorefinery Biotech Synthetic BiologyThe White House today released a national Bioeconomy Blueprint , a comprehensive approach to harnessing innovations in biological research to address national challenges in health, food, energy, and the environment. In coordination with the Blueprint’s release, Federal officials also announced a number of new commitments to help achieve the Blueprint’s goals. MORE

Bio-polymers Biomass Biorefinery Sustainability Wave and Tidal Web/TechA study by researchers at Iowa State University has determined that the automotive industry has a very large potential to utilize biobased materials. Their report, “Biobased Automobile Parts Investigation”, was developed for the USDA Office of Energy Policy and New Uses. MORE

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, working as the lead agency in the grant, announced that its scientists have reached a key milestone toward the goal of producing, by mid-2017, a concept tire in which all of the natural and synthetic rubber is replaced by guayule-based polymers. We have proven that we can replace traditional polymers with guayule in certain components, and that tires made from these components perform equal to conventional tires. MORE

Bio-polymers DieselGM expects that the North American introduction of a 2.0L turbodiesel engine on Cruze—one of the top-selling gasoline-powered cars in the US in 2011 and General Motors’ best-selling model globally—will establish Chevrolet as the only domestic automaker offering an American-manufactured diesel-powered compact car with a European-American developed engine. Earlier post. ). MORE

To overcome the challenge of soluble polysulfides as charge/discharge intermediates in Li-S batteries, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, with colleagues at Murray State University, have designed highly crosslinked polymer-electrolyte coating layers with electron-donating groups to bind the polysulfides. They also proposed an electrochemical charge/discharge model which can explain the electrochemical behavior within the insulating polymer layer. MORE

DuPont Performance Polymers (DuPont) is showcasing a novel automotive jounce bumper component—part of a vehicle’s shock-absorber system designed to absorb impact and dampen noise, vibration and harshness (NVH). MORE

The new family, formed by condensation of paraformaldehyde with bisanilines, can form hard thermoset polymers or, when more oxygenated, produce self-healing gels. Polymers are long chains of molecules connected through chemical bonds. MORE

Such applications include reinforcing (bio-)polymers to create very promising, environmentally safe, lightweight construction material for the car industry, as well as membrane or filter materials for applications in packaging and biomedicine. Bio-polymers Biomass Materials Weight reduction MORE

Described in a paper (“Compliant Glass-Polymer Hybrid Single-Ion-Conducting Electrolytes for Lithium Batteries”) to be published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the highly conductive hybrid electrolyte combines the two primary types of solid electrolytes: polymer and glass. Polymer and glass or ceramic solid electrolytes each come with their own set of issues. MORE

The lead inventors of the technology are UCSB professor Dr. Alan Heeger, the recipient of a Nobel Prize in 2000 for the discovery and development of conductive polymers, and Dr. David Vonlanthen, a project scientist and expert in energy storage at UCSB. Startup BioSolar, Inc. MORE

Honeywell has introduced a line of additives for asphalt aimed at helping the paving industry decrease energy usage, reduce emissions and save money while helping meet demanding road specifications. The new Honeywell Titan additives for asphalt have been shown in real-life paving trials (subject to weather and paving practices) to reduce the fuel required to mix asphalt by 13% and harmful emissions generated by road paving by as much as 82%, while helping to minimize rutting. MORE

The team, led by scientists from Harvard University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, employed a microfluidic assembly technique to produce microcapsules that contain liquid sorbents encased in highly permeable polymer shells. MORE

Engineers are nothing if not creative. Significant research is going into improved ways of storing electricity, including alternatives to the currently dominant lithium-ion battery-cell chemistry in electric cars. That includes using supercapacitors to substitute for storage batteries in some circumstances. DON'T MISS: Batteries from junkyard. Batteries research plug-in cars charging energy storage capacitor ultracapacitors MORE

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered how nanoscale polymer films limit future cost reductions in fuel cell electric vehicles. Researchers agree that polymer electrolyte films that are only tens of nanometers thick are in some way responsible. MORE

Researchers led by a team from Griffith University in Australia have developed a multifunctional polymer binder that not only maintains the outstanding binding capabilities of sodium alginate but also enhances the mechanical integrity and lithium-ion diffusion coefficient in a LiFePO 4 (LFP) electrode during the operation of the batteries. MORE

A new project has been launched by the European research consortium known as the SOMABAT (Solid materials for high power Li polymer batteries) with the aim of creating more environmentally friendly and higher power Li polymer batteries. The consortium will create novel and recyclable solid materials that can used as anode, cathode and solid polymer [.]. MORE

A team led by Dinglin Jiang at the National Institutes of Natural Sciences in Okazaki (Japan) reports in the journal Angewandte Chemie on the synthesis of co-operative porous frameworks based on aza-fused π(pi)-conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) for use in supercapacitors. Special microporous, framework-like, organic polymers are materials of interest in this area. Ragone plots of Aza-CMPs. Source: Kou et al. Supplementary material. Click to enlarge. MORE

Because cellulose fibers are compatible with various “workhorse” polymers, Weyerhaeuser plans to expand the THRIVE line of products beyond polypropylene to a range of hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon polymers. Bio-polymers Biomass Materials Plastics Weight reduction MORE

Bio-polymers Materials Mazda Motor Corporation, in conjunction with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, has developed a new bio-based engineering plastic that can be used for exterior design parts for automobiles. The new plastic will help Mazda to reduce its impact on the environment in a number of ways. As the plastic is made from plant-derived materials, its adoption will help to curb the use of petroleum resources and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. MORE

Researchers at the Polymer Technology Group, part of the UPV/EHU’s Department of Polymer Science and Technology and the Institute for Polymer Materials, POLYMAT, in Spain, recently reported the synthesis of high-performance poly(etherimide) (PEI)-based nanocomposites (PNs) with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) via melt mixing. However, like most polymers it is an insulating material from the electrical perspective. MORE

The new polymer-coated high-performance bearings can be applied to both light and heavy-duty engines, and are particularly effective in hybrid and start/stop applications that place additional demands on bearings through frequent re-starting.

Engineers are nothing if not creative. Significant research is going into improved ways of storing electricity, including alternatives to the currently dominant lithium-ion battery-cell chemistry in electric cars. That includes using supercapacitors to substitute for storage batteries in some circumstances. DON'T MISS: Batteries from junkyard. Batteries research plug-in cars charging energy storage capacitor ultracapacitors

Global Bioenergies has purified its bio‐isobutene to 99.77%, a polymer‐grade level. Several applications in the polymers business (rubbers, plastics.) require high‐purity isobutene, and 99.77% corresponds to the polymer‐grade standard. Global Bioenergies routinely produces isobutene batches using its industrial pilot located in Pomacle‐Bazancourt, eastern France. Up to now, 95% purity was reached, a level sufficient for several applications, such as fuels and paints.

In a paper in the Journal ChemSusChem they report that using a novel gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) enables stable performance close to the theoretical capacity (1675 mAh g -1 ) of a low cost sulfur-carbon composite with high active material loading, i.e. 70% S.

The lead inventors of the technology are UCSB professor Dr. Alan Heeger, the recipient of a Nobel Prize in 2000 for the discovery and development of conductive polymers, and Dr. David Vonlanthen, a project scientist and expert in energy storage at UCSB. Startup BioSolar, Inc.

Described in a paper (“Compliant Glass-Polymer Hybrid Single-Ion-Conducting Electrolytes for Lithium Batteries”) to be published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the highly conductive hybrid electrolyte combines the two primary types of solid electrolytes: polymer and glass. Polymer and glass or ceramic solid electrolytes each come with their own set of issues.

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, working as the lead agency in the grant, announced that its scientists have reached a key milestone toward the goal of producing, by mid-2017, a concept tire in which all of the natural and synthetic rubber is replaced by guayule-based polymers. We have proven that we can replace traditional polymers with guayule in certain components, and that tires made from these components perform equal to conventional tires.

The team, led by scientists from Harvard University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, employed a microfluidic assembly technique to produce microcapsules that contain liquid sorbents encased in highly permeable polymer shells.

A team of researchers from the US and China have developed novel polymer?graphene Moreover, the robust backbone of the polymer can prevent the unwanted dissolution in nonaqueous electrolyte that is always suffered by small molecules, and thereby achieve good cycling stability.

A German consortium involving four companies and and two universities is developing dielectric elastomers (electroactive polymers) for the conversion of mechanical energy—in this case wave power—into electrical power.

million (US$5 million) research project to create a new class of fast rechargeable zinc-polymer batteries for hybrid and small electric vehicle applications. The PolyZion (Fast rechargeable zinc-polymer battery based on ionic liquids) received funding of €2.4 An EU consortium is two years into a 3-year, €3.5 million (US$3.4 million) under the Energy Theme of the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

The lead inventors of the technology are UCSB professor Dr. Alan Heeger, the recipient of a Nobel Prize in 2000 for the discovery and development of conductive polymers, and Dr. David Vonlanthen, a project scientist and expert in energy storage at UCSB. Startup BioSolar, Inc.

Described in a paper (“Compliant Glass-Polymer Hybrid Single-Ion-Conducting Electrolytes for Lithium Batteries”) to be published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the highly conductive hybrid electrolyte combines the two primary types of solid electrolytes: polymer and glass. Polymer and glass or ceramic solid electrolytes each come with their own set of issues.

A team led by researchers from Georgia Tech have used an electropolymerization process to produce aligned arrays of polymer nanofibers that function as a thermal interface material able to conduct heat 20 times better than the original polymer.

A team from the University of Rome Sapienza has developed a rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery based on the combination of a high capacity sulfur-carbon cathode, nanostructured Li x Sn-C anode and polysulfide-added PEO-based gel membrane. Further, the use of a polymer electrolyte and the replacement of lithium metal with a Li-Sn-C nanostructured alloy for the anode should provide high safety content, they noted in their open access paper published in Nature’s Scientific Reports.

The clean technology company Danish Power Systems (DPS), with partners at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Czech Republic, reports the best operating stability for high-temperature polymer fuel cells (HTPEMFC) yet. The polymer can operate at a higher temperature than traditional PEM cells.

Dunn of the Singapore University of Technology and Design incorporated shape memory polymer fibers into the composite materials used in conventional 3D printing (additive manufacturing), which results in the production of an object fixed in one shape that can later be changed to take on a new shape.

PEF is a new polymer that can be made out of plant material instead of oil; Avantium is targeting the replacement of petroleum-based polyesters as PET with PEF. Avantium, which spun off from Shell in 2000 to develop furan-based biofuels and biomaterials ( earlier post ), has raised €30 million (US$43.9 million) to advance its YXY technology, which converts carbohydrates into furanic building blocks for making renewable materials and fuels.

Sketch of the Sn/C/CGPE/ Li 2 S/C polymer battery. The battery is formed by a Sn/C composite anode, a PEO-based gel polymer electrolyte, and a Li 2 S/C cathode. Hassoun and Scrosati also replaced the common liquid organic solutions with a gel-type polymer membrane.

Honeywell has introduced a line of additives for asphalt aimed at helping the paving industry decrease energy usage, reduce emissions and save money while helping meet demanding road specifications. The new Honeywell Titan additives for asphalt have been shown in real-life paving trials (subject to weather and paving practices) to reduce the fuel required to mix asphalt by 13% and harmful emissions generated by road paving by as much as 82%, while helping to minimize rutting.

Researchers at the Polymer Technology Group, part of the UPV/EHU’s Department of Polymer Science and Technology and the Institute for Polymer Materials, POLYMAT, in Spain, recently reported the synthesis of high-performance poly(etherimide) (PEI)-based nanocomposites (PNs) with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) via melt mixing. However, like most polymers it is an insulating material from the electrical perspective.

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University and MIT believe they have developed a new solid-state polymer electrolyte for use in electrochemical devices including fuel cells and batteries. Tags: Electric cars Fuel Cells Green cars Latest news electric car batteries fuel cell cars mit Pennsylvania State University researchers solid-state polymer electrolytes

Because cellulose fibers are compatible with various “workhorse” polymers, Weyerhaeuser plans to expand the THRIVE line of products beyond polypropylene to a range of hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon polymers. Bio-polymers Biomass Materials Plastics Weight reduction

Bio-polymers Biomass Biorefinery Sustainability Wave and Tidal Web/TechA study by researchers at Iowa State University has determined that the automotive industry has a very large potential to utilize biobased materials. Their report, “Biobased Automobile Parts Investigation”, was developed for the USDA Office of Energy Policy and New Uses.

A team led by Dinglin Jiang at the National Institutes of Natural Sciences in Okazaki (Japan) reports in the journal Angewandte Chemie on the synthesis of co-operative porous frameworks based on aza-fused π(pi)-conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) for use in supercapacitors. Special microporous, framework-like, organic polymers are materials of interest in this area. Ragone plots of Aza-CMPs. Source: Kou et al. Supplementary material. Click to enlarge.

Bio-polymers DieselGM expects that the North American introduction of a 2.0L turbodiesel engine on Cruze—one of the top-selling gasoline-powered cars in the US in 2011 and General Motors’ best-selling model globally—will establish Chevrolet as the only domestic automaker offering an American-manufactured diesel-powered compact car with a European-American developed engine. Earlier post. ).

Bio-hydrocarbons Bio-hydrogen Bio-polymers Biobutanol Biodiesel Biogasoline Biomass Biorefinery Biotech Synthetic BiologyThe White House today released a national Bioeconomy Blueprint , a comprehensive approach to harnessing innovations in biological research to address national challenges in health, food, energy, and the environment. In coordination with the Blueprint’s release, Federal officials also announced a number of new commitments to help achieve the Blueprint’s goals.

DuPont Performance Polymers (DuPont) is showcasing a novel automotive jounce bumper component—part of a vehicle’s shock-absorber system designed to absorb impact and dampen noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).

Using particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO), the researchers created a biocatalytic polymer material that converts methane to methanol. The enzymes retain up to 100% activity in the polymer construct. Remarkably, the enzymes retain up to 100 percent activity in the polymer.

A new project has been launched by the European research consortium known as the SOMABAT (Solid materials for high power Li polymer batteries) with the aim of creating more environmentally friendly and higher power Li polymer batteries. The consortium will create novel and recyclable solid materials that can used as anode, cathode and solid polymer [.].

Panasonic Corporation has developed conductive polymer hybrid aluminum electrolytic capacitors realizing large capacitance and large current in a compact form factor (SMD type), suited for automotive ECUs (Electronic Control Units) power supply circuits of HEV, EV and gasoline-powered vehicles, etc.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered how nanoscale polymer films limit future cost reductions in fuel cell electric vehicles. Researchers agree that polymer electrolyte films that are only tens of nanometers thick are in some way responsible.

The company has also accelerated its sales activity relating to high-performance polymer-grade farnesene for the polymers market and Myralene as a replacement for higher-priced limonene. At these low manufacturing costs, farnesene is also now priced competitively with isoprene as a raw material for many high-performance polymer applications and delivers better functional performance for Amyris’ partners’ end-market materials.

To overcome the challenge of soluble polysulfides as charge/discharge intermediates in Li-S batteries, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, with colleagues at Murray State University, have designed highly crosslinked polymer-electrolyte coating layers with electron-donating groups to bind the polysulfides. They also proposed an electrochemical charge/discharge model which can explain the electrochemical behavior within the insulating polymer layer.

Such applications include reinforcing (bio-)polymers to create very promising, environmentally safe, lightweight construction material for the car industry, as well as membrane or filter materials for applications in packaging and biomedicine. Bio-polymers Biomass Materials Weight reduction

The new family, formed by condensation of paraformaldehyde with bisanilines, can form hard thermoset polymers or, when more oxygenated, produce self-healing gels. Polymers are long chains of molecules connected through chemical bonds.

Bio-polymers Materials Mazda Motor Corporation, in conjunction with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, has developed a new bio-based engineering plastic that can be used for exterior design parts for automobiles. The new plastic will help Mazda to reduce its impact on the environment in a number of ways. As the plastic is made from plant-derived materials, its adoption will help to curb the use of petroleum resources and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Researchers led by a team from Griffith University in Australia have developed a multifunctional polymer binder that not only maintains the outstanding binding capabilities of sodium alginate but also enhances the mechanical integrity and lithium-ion diffusion coefficient in a LiFePO 4 (LFP) electrode during the operation of the batteries.